Over the Easter break we headed off to the Algarve, Portugal for a week in the sun. We needed to recharge our batteries, make a few decisions and just enjoy some quality family time away from everything. The girls thought the whole thing was an amazing adventure from start to finish and to be honest, it was:

We toyed with the idea of holidaying in the UK. We almost returned to Coombe Mill but then we decided to escape to warmer shores and it turned out to be a fantastic decision for us.There was plenty of time to relax in the sun but also time to explore. Daisy was convinced she spotted a mermaid in the water (it was a crazy swimmer but ssshhh don’t say anything) and all three girls were delighted to see a pirate ship several times.

Easter is the perfect time to visit Portugal with children. It was warm and sunny but not too hot. 21-27 degrees. Ideal for stripping off the winter layers and wearing summer clothes. We even played in the sea although the waves were quite high. It was also very quiet, no crowds which suited us perfectly.

We hired a car for the week (post about that coming soon). It was a great idea and meant we had the flexibility to go where we wanted, when we wanted. The girls love the pools, so most days we would spend the morning at the pool and then go out exploring the beaches in the afternoon. It was perfect:

The rugged coastline of the Algarve is amazing. Years ago I visited on a girls holiday and fell in love with the place. Last year we went as a family but we didn’t have a car. We had toyed with the idea but we were there during a heatwave so none of us fancied being in the car that much. This time though it was very different. We revelled in our adventures. We would look at beaches on the internet each day and plan our visits, the girls helped. They were fascinated by the huge rock formations and enjoyed the fact that every beach was different:

If the sea had been calmer we might have taken a boat ride for a different view. I get very seasick though and some of the boats out there looked like they were almost capsizing. Scary with children. I think it is definitely something we would do another time though.

It really was exactly what we needed. Time together and relaxation. Husband had been working long hours and commuting miles so to see him relaxing and playing with the girls was pretty special. We literally spent hours just staring out to see and playing in the shallows. Bliss!

Beautiful weather, friendly people and and amazing beaches. Portugal is somewhere special and we will definitely go back. Until then, we have some fabulous family memories stored up and these gorgeous photos too. More coming very soon.

Have you been?

Karen x